Under Armour, the apparel company that has worked with the national team on the suits for the last four years, said the crotch features a “friction guard” that reduces friction and improves skaters’ performance.

“The 2014 UA skin had one panel instead of two, but in testing the new skin, the addition of a second panel reduced friction even more ― by 60 percent,” Under Armour told InStyle via a statement.

And the color of the crotch material couldn’t have been any different: